“It’s better than the dilemma I’m in now, right? I can’t bear to see you wronged, and my heart breaks even more seeing Jewel being blamed. I’m caught between you two, and I’d rather die.”
Alex continued, “You didn’t say a word but put all the blame on Jean. You made her look like she cheated on me, and on top of that, you even claim that she is a b*tch who took 150 thousand from you before running off. Every time I think of that night, my heart hurts. It’s like a knife stabbing into it. How could you watch me struggle in pain and resent Jean with all my might?”
“But today, I found out that all of this is a scheme meticulously planned by you. Let’s put aside that Jean isn’t Winnie’s daughter at all, but even if she is, what did she do wrong? She just couldn’t stand your son’s stalking, so she accepted my feelings. You, on the other hand, are afraid of embarrassment and secretly did so many things to hurt her. She’s just an innocent victim. She didn’t deserve to endure all of this!”
Looking at Alex in pain, Stefanie felt upset and grunted, “Because she is Winnie’s daughter! Even if she wasn’t, she was her niece! I hate Winnie, and I will never be able to forgive her in this life. I’ve held back for more than 20 years without an avenue to vent my frustrations. Who told her to fall for you and chase after you?
Alex, I did try to persuade myself to let it go, that Jean and Winnie are different people. 1 realized stopping Jean from approaching you was torture for you, so I decided that I wouldn’t stop her anymore. As for my actions, let’s treat it as a price she has to pay for liking you.”
Alex lowered his eyes, and one drop of tear fell unexpectedly. He felt as if his heart was being pierced by thousands of needles.
He couldn’t see a drop of blood, but it hurt like hell. “She’s the one who fell for me and chased after me? Is this the price she should pay for liking me?”
“It is the price she should pay for being Winnie Parker’s niece!”
Alex choked up and suddenly felt strange looking at his mom’s face. With a cold voice, he uttered, “I never knew you could be so unreasonable. How could you sound so confident when you did something wrong? She’s not an outsider. She is the girl your son likes the most. I was the one chasing after her, and just because you couldn’t stop me from doing that, you claim that she deserves to pay the price? I am not your private property, and don’t you even think about using me to go against anyone. Neither Jean nor I are tools to you.”
Stefanie took a deep breath and said, “Haven’t I already agreed to your relationship? What else do you want from me? Should I apologize to her?”
Alex’s tone was aggressive as he retorted, “You are my mother. Even if you treat me badly, we are still blood-related. At most, I will be mad at you, but Jean is different. She was hurt by you for no reason and had no choice but to leave her hometown. Do you know what she has been through for the past years?
After her mother passed away, she was sold to a mercenary organization by Damian for 300 thousand, and during a mission, she was tricked by her colleagues and almost burned to death. Her voice was damaged by the smoke in that fire, and she is still a defector of the mercenary organization. All of this was caused by you. Her entire life was ruined by you! Shouldn’t you apologize?”
Stefanie kept quiet for some time and merely looked at Alex’s distressed gaze. She had a dazed expression as she thought to herself, Her mother is dead?
Besides, what’s a mercenary organization? Although she didn’t quite understand what it was, she figured it was probably something bad, judging from her son’s expression.
Eventually, she felt guilty. “I-I just drove them away. What happened to them after that has nothing to do with me, does it?”
Alex gazed at her. “But it’s a fact that you drove her out of the country and I was your accomplice. Her tragic experience was caused by me and you in the name of love, but in truth, we’re committing crimes!”
He suddenly covered his eyes with his hands. “I’m so scared right now. I’m afraid that Jewel will never want me again when she finds out.”
